The invention relates to methods for determining the sex of birds' eggs. It can be used for an early determination of the sex, in particular in poultry farming.
Eggs are normally incubated after laying, which predominantly takes place in incubators which have to be heated for several days or weeks in accordance with the type of bird. However, since breeding is carried out in a sex-specific manner, a sex determination after hatching is required. This can be done manually, which naturally represents a high effort and/or expense.
The hatched chicks having the respective unwanted sex are predominantly destroyed in this process, which is contrary to the interests of animal protection.
Different possibilities have been tried for this reason to be able to carry out a sex determination with sufficient accuracy in as early a stage as possible.
It is thus proposed in DE 10 2007 013 107 A1 to examine DNA-relevant cell material with light and in this process to measure molecule oscillation spectra which are to be compared with reference spectra. This is to take place by means of Raman spectroscopy, IR spectroscopy or terahertz spectroscopy. The results thus obtained have a very high error rate, in particular on a measurement within an egg, since all the contents contained in an egg exert an influence during this process. High intensities are required for the irradiation which result in a heating and consequently in an impairment of the irradiated cells. The accuracy can only be increased in these procedures in that eggs are examined which have already been incubated for several days.
This likewise relates to the method described in DE 697 11 943 T2. In this respect, the content of a sex-specific hormone contained in extraembryonic liquid should be determined.